Young Folks' History of Rome eBook

above the water. However, the forces from Syria
were soon brought to him, and he was able to fight
a battle in which the young king was drowned; and
Egypt was at his mercy. Cleopatra was determined
to have an interview with him, and had herself carried
into his rooms in a roll of carpet, and when there,
she charmed him so much that he set her up as queen
of Egypt. He remained three months longer in Egypt
collecting money; and hearing that Pharnaces, the
son of Mithridates, had attacked the Roman settlements
in Asia Minor, he sailed for Tarsus, marched against
Pharnaces, routed and killed him in battle. The
success was announced to the Senate in the following
brief words, “Veni, vidi, vici”—­“I
came, I saw, I conquered.”

[Illustration: CATO.]

He was a second time appointed Dictator, and came
home to arrange affairs; but there were no proscriptions,
though he took away the estates of those who opposed
him. There was still a party of the senators
and their supporters who had followed Pompeius in Africa,
with Cato and Cnaeus Pompeius, the eldest son of the
great leader, and Caesar had to follow them thither.
He gave them a great defeat at Thapsus, and the remnant
took refuge in the city of Utica, whither Caesar followed
them. They would have stood a siege, but the townspeople
would not consent, and Cato sent off all his party
by sea, and remained alone with his son and a few
of his friends, not to face the conqueror, but to die
by his own sword ere he came, as the Romans had learned
from Stoic philosophy to think the nobler part.

[Illustration: FUNERAL SOLEMNITIES IN THE COLUMBARIUM
(lit. Pigeon-house) OF THE HOUSE OF JULIUS
CAESAR AT THE PORTA CAPENA IN ROME.

(The rows of niches for the cinerary urns in a Roman
sepulchre were called by this name from their resemblance
to a dovecot.)]

Such of the Senate as had not joined Pompeius were
ready to fall down and worship Caesar when he came
home. So rejoiced was Rome to fear no proscription,
that temples were dedicated to Caesar’s clemency,
and his image was to be carried in procession with
those of the gods. He was named Dictator for
ten years, and was received with four triumphs—­over
the Gauls, over the Egyptians, over Pharnaces, and
over Juba, an African king who had aided Cato.
Foremost of the Gaulish prisoners was the brave Vercingetorix,
and among the Egyptians, Arsinoe, the sister of Cleopatra.
A banquet was given at his cost to the whole Roman
people, and the shows of gladiators and beasts surpassed
all that had ever been seen. The Julii were said
to be descended from AEneas and to Venus, as his ancestress,
Caesar dedicated a breastplate of pearls from the river
mussels of Britain. Still, however, he had to
go to Spain to reduce the sons of Pompeius. They
were defeated in battle, the elder was killed, but
Cnaeus, the younger, held out in the mountains and
hid himself among the natives.